Posts tagged Greek Islands

Thasos or Thassos, visible in the lower left quadrant of this orthorectified image, is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea, close to the coast of Thrace and the plain of the river Nestos but geographically part of Macedonia. It is the northernmost Greek island.

Thasos has a generally round shape, without deep bays and significant peninsulas. The highest peak, Ypsario or Ipsario, is 1,205 m (3428 ft) high and lies in the eastern half of the island, which is steeper and mostly covered in pine forest. The western half has gentler slopes. While generally mountainous, the terrain is not particularly rugged, as it rises gradually from the coast towards the island center.

Sun glint off the waters of the Aegean Sea highlights the movement of currents around the Greek islands. Mainland Turkey is visible to the right, and upon opening the full image, mainland Greece and the city of Athens are visible to the left.

Most of the islands seen here are part of the Cyclades island group, south-east of the mainland of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos.

The Cyclades comprise about 220 islands that are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands, Milos and Santorini (Thera). The climate is generally dry and mild, but with the exception of Naxos the soil is not very fertile.